Brakes have been put on the Australian motor show

Organisers have cancelled the Melbourne motor show, which was scheduled to be held in June, after lacklustre support from car manufacturers and dwindling attendance figures in recent years.

The Australian International Motor Show is jointly hosted by Melbourne and Sydney, and alternates between the two cities under a year-by-year agreement that started in 2009.

A planned Sydney show in 2009 was also abandoned under pressure from car makers who could not afford to hold million-dollar displays twice each year.

Attendance at the Sydney Motor Show has dropped since 1998, when more than 250,000 people flocked to see a Holden concept car that went on to become the iconic Monaro coupe.

Last year, just 135,000 people attended the Motor Show held at Sydney's Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre; a record low for the event.

Premium brands such as Ferrari, BMW and Audi were once drawcards for the event, but those manufacturers did not participate in last year's Sydney show.

Russ Tyrie, event director of the Australian International Motor Show, says the decision to cancel the show was in response to changing trends within the car industry.

"We have made the decision to not proceed with this year's Show based on a consensus view of the Automotive Industry to focus limited marketing budgets in 2013 on firm specific activities rather than an industry based Motor Show," he said in a statement.

"In not proceeding with the Show in 2013, Australia is following a global trend that has been apparent for several years, where cities do not always have a Motor Show. This trend is evident in the recent suspension of Motor Shows in London, Zagreb and Amsterdam.